Spokane Valley, WA Drone Rules: Park Drone Restrictions (2026)

Spokane Valley Code § 6.05.060 sets the rules for conduct in city parks, and subsection S, titled "Airborne Vehicles," bars any person from launching, operating, or landing an airborne vehicle while standing on or in a city park or facility. Chapter 6.05's definitions section, SVMC § 6.05.010, spells out that "airborne vehicle" covers any vehicle designed to become and remain airborne, expressly listing "unmanned aircraft systems (UAS or drone vehicles)" alongside airplanes, helicopters, hang gliders, model aircraft, and hot air balloons. That means a hobbyist launching a quadcopter from a picnic shelter at a Spokane Valley park is covered by the same rule that grounds model airplanes and hang gliders.

The prohibition applies to takeoff, operation, and landing while the operator is physically on park property; enforcement focuses on where a pilot stands rather than where the aircraft flies. The only carve-out in the text is for areas the City has "specifically designated and posted" for airborne-vehicle use, and for hot air balloons, which may fly under a special event permit issued through SVMC § 6.05.040 and Chapter 5.15 SVMC. No comparable special-event permit path exists in the code for drones; absent a posted exception, flying one from park grounds is not permitted. Spokane Valley Parks and Recreation administers the posted-area designations and the special-event permit process referenced in § 6.05.040.